Ladies Don't Battle
by Lost Robin
Summary: Serena is learning to be a lady. However, when she is offered the chance to learn how to battle from one of the Elite Four, she jumps on the chance. Will she learn how to be the best Trainer she can be or will she end up sitting on the sidelines?
1. Chapter 1

"Well that's not a very ladylike Pokémon."

I looked over at her and her Swirlix. "Well that's not a very good Pokémon for battling."

"Ladies don't battle."

"Then maybe I'm not a lady."

"What Pokémon even is that?"

"Litwick. Fire and Ghost type." Luna jumped up and down happily.

She wrinkled her nose. "That's disgusting. Ladies don't have Ghost types."

Olympia came over. "What's this?"

"Serena has a Litwick, ma'am."

"May I see?" I carefully held Luna out to our chaperone. She looked Luna over, careful not to touch the flame on top of her head. "I think this is a wonderful specimen. What do you feed her?"

"Well, ma'am, she doesn't eat regular food," I said.

"Ah. I understand. My Sigilyph is the exact same way." She handed Luna back to me. "A wonderful Pokémon. Have you been training?"

"Not very much. Apparently, ladies don't battle. No one will battle me."

"We must change that. Come along." I stayed where I was. "My dear, please come along. We will remedy this at once." I followed her to where some gentlemen were standing. "Siebold."

A tall man with light blonde hair turned around. "Yes?"

"You said you were looking for a student."

"Yes. Where is he?"

"Not he, but she." She gestured to me. "Serena, meet Lord Siebold. One of the members of the Elite Four."

Siebold looked me over. "You want me to teach her?"

"Why yes. She wants to battle and you want to teach. Lovely pair."

"Olympia, I cannot just teach a girl how to battle."

"Why not? Many girls have become Gym Leaders and members of the Elite Four. Why, our Champion is a lady."

"Because they were trained by women. A man training a lady in battling would be unseemly. If you want her trained so badly, have one of them do it."

"May we talk in private? The three of us?"

He nodded. "Gentlemen, excuse me." He led us into a rather spacious study.

"Siebold, you said you wanted a student. One who would be dedicated and one who you could train from the beginning. Serena has never been taught how to battle."

"Surely they teach you how to battle at Anistar Academy," he said to me.

I shook my head. "No, sir. They merely want us to look pretty with ladylike Pokémon."

"Yet you have a Litwick. Surely they have complained about that."

"None of the teachers have. My classmates find it utterly ridiculous that I have a Pokémon that is a Ghost type."

"Hm." He looked at me for a minute. "And what experience with battling do you have?"

"None except for a small number of battles I have seen. Ladies are not supposed to watch such things. We are supposed to be Coordinators."

He turned to Olympia. "Fine. I will take her. But only for the week. If I still want to teach her after that, then she will be my student. If not, then you will have to find another teacher."

"When do we start?" I asked.

"Right now. Do you have a Pokéball for the Litwick?" I nodded and pulled it out of my purse. "A Luxury Ball. How typical of the academy. Return her to her Ball, then follow me."

"Night, Luna," I whispered as I returned her. Then I followed Siebold out back into the main hall, where he stopped to speak to a woman.

"Drasna," he said, "I am going to need a suite of rooms."

"Did you find a new student?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Yes. Serena, step forward." I did so. "Drasna, this is my student Serena. Serena, this is my colleague Lady Drasna of the Elite Four."

"Pleasure to meet you," I said, holding out my hand.

Drasna shook it. "Pleasure is all mine, dear. Where in the estate do you want her suite?"

"Near you, please. It would be unseemly for her to be anywhere else."

"What about near me?" someone drawled.

Siebold turned to me. "This is Lady Malva, the other woman in the Elite Four."

Malva sneered at me. "This is the new student? Interesting choice for you."

"Thank you for your opinion, Malva," Siebold said. "If you will excuse us, I need to make a few arrangements. Come along, Serena." I followed him to another group of people. "Lady Valerie."

Valerie turned around. "Yes, Lord Siebold?"

"Might I ask a favor of you?"

She nodded. "Of course. What may I help you with?"

"My new student will need attire suitable for all that entails being a student of one of the Elite Four."

"Of course, sir." She peered at me. "Is this her?"

"Yes. Serena, this is Lady Valerie."

"Serena and I are already acquainted." She was a senior at the academy when I was just starting. She was the one who showed me the battles. "Please stop by my Gym at your earliest convenience."

Siebold bowed slightly. "Thank you." He led me over to where a gentleman in full armor was standing. "Wikstrom."

The man turned around. "Good evening, Siebold."

"Good evening. I have a new student, Serena."

Wikstrom smiled at me. "Pleasure to meet such a fair maiden."

I curtsied. "Pleasure to meet you, Lord Wikstrom."

"Malva doesn't seem to be taking the arrival of another girl so well," Siebold said.

"Very well. I will battle her later and get her spirits back up."

"Thank you." Wikstrom started walking towards Malva. Siebold turned to me. "You will need to pack. We leave tomorrow morning at nine."

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Unless you would rather stay at your school and not learn how to battle."

"But what about my studies?"

"Would you give up the chance to learn how to battle just to learn how to be a lady? Besides, Drasna and Malva will teach you what you need to know. I suggest you go pack so you are ready in the morning."

"Yes, Lord Siebold."

He gave me a wry smile. "Siebold will do just fine when there is no one around."

"Yes, Siebold."

"Good night."

I headed towards the room I shared with Anne-Laurie. She was there, watering her Flabébé's flower.

"Good evening," she said.

"I'm going to the Pokémon League!" I said excitedly once I closed the door.

"What?"

"Siebold is going to teach me how to battle. I'm going to live there."

She put the watering can down and hugged me. "That's great! I'm excited for you."

"I'm sure you'll be allowed to visit."

"Of course. The ball they have every year."

"I meant more than that. And they have the Grand Festival there in the spring."

"You know I am not good enough to go to the Grand Festival." Anne-Laurie's dream was to be Top Coordinator.

"I know that you're going to be the best Top Coordinator ever."

She let go. "You need to pack, correct?" I nodded. "Then allow me to help you."

"Good morning, Miss Serena," Camille said, drawing the curtains.

I sat up and stretched. "Good morning. What time is it?"

"A little after seven."

"Seven! But I need to be ready to leave at nine!"

"Do not worry about that, Miss Serena. Lady Olympia gave me careful instructions. You are going to be ready in time."

Good on her word, I was ready to leave at eight thirty. There was no one else in the entry way, so I let Luna out. She snuggled close to me, careful not to let her flame touch me.

"Li-lit!" she cried.

"Yeah. We're going to a new place. Somewhere where you can battle," I said, stroking her side.

"Are you ready to leave?" someone called.

I looked up. "Lord Siebold." I curtsied. "Yes, I am ready to leave."

"Excellent. The rest of the Elite Four have left, so it is just you and I."

"How are we getting to the League, if I may ask?"

"We are taking the train." He tossed a Pokéball in the air. "Barbaracle, please take some of Serena's bags." Siebold looked at the three bags I had with me. "Is this all your luggage?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"You are an orphan, correct?" I nodded again. "Who were your parents?"

"Lady Grace and…" I trailed off, blushing.

"And who was your father?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, sir. My mother died when I was little and she never told anyone who my father was."

"Hm." He picked up one of my bags. "Come along. We have a train to catch."

Once we were on the train, Siebold disappeared for a few minutes, coming back with a tray of food. "I am assuming that you haven't had breakfast yet."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Please do not call me sir. Eat." He set the tray down on the table, then sat across from me. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes please." He poured two cups and handed one to me. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

We ate in silence. The food was delicious. Even Luna managed a few bites of fromage blanc.

"Tell me about yourself," Siebold said, turning his attention from the food to me.

"I am not quite sure what you are asking," I said, taking a sip of my tea.

"What made you decide to have a Litwick as a Pokémon at a ladies' school?"

"When we are ten, we are taken to a Pokémon nursery. We are allowed to play with the Pokémon before we choose which one to take back to the academy. I saw Luna playing by herself, away from the others. None of the other girls would go near her. I thought she was beautiful and sat in the grass near her, not close enough to touch her. Eventually, she came over and sat on my lap. I decided then that I wanted to raise her."

"Ah." He took a sip of his tea. "And what about battling?"

"It makes me feel alive. Well, the only time I've battled was with Valerie right after I got Luna, but it made me feel alive and free."

"I am curious. What Pokémon did she have at the academy?"

"An Eevee. She evolved it right after graduation and caught a Mawile."

"The academy is big on Fairy types, correct?"

I nodded. "That is one of the reasons most of the girls don't like Luna."

"What about your roommate?"

"Anne-Laurie likes Luna. She and Flabébé get along quite well."

He nodded. "What do you think of Water type Pokémon?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that much about them, but they are very graceful. One of the girls in my hall has a Marill. When it is hot outside, she has him use Water Gun to put cool water in the baths."

"What do you think of them?"

"Like all Pokémon, they are elegant. They glide through the water as if it were air."

"You will be seeing quite a few Water Types at the League. I am the Water Master, of course. We will have to find one that suits you."

"Pardon?"

"You cannot battle and only have one Pokémon. We will have to pick out a suitable Water Type for you. To balance out your team. Battles are an act of balance. Give and take. Fleeting moments of art. Do you think of battling as a form of art?"

"Yes. I think it is one of the greatest forms of art."

He smiled. "We will be well suited then. Shall we begin?"

"But we are on a train."

"That does not mean we cannot talk about battling and such. This is not going to be just battling. There will be theory and caring for Pokémon and many other things, all of which will make you the best Trainer you can possibly be." He took a sip of his tea. "Are you ready to begin?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome to the Pokémon League," Siebold said as we got off the train. Men in dark green uniforms started pulling our luggage out of the train. "Follow me." I followed him through a small door. "This is usually the help's way, but it is not swarming with journalists like the main way is right now."

"Why are they here?"

"You."

"Why are they here for me?"

"Because I do not take students very often. Normally, my students are boys, maybe ten or eleven. You are a fifteen year old girl." He opened a door to a long, narrow staircase. "After you."

I started climbing the stairs. "Are there journalists here often?"

"Yes. They seem to think we have nothing better to do than be interviewed."

We climbed until it felt like we'd gotten to the very top tower.

"Stop." He pulled out a key and unlocked a small door. "This way."

The hall I followed him into was brightly lit, a contrast to the dim back staircase. There were many windows along the walls, framed by flowing blue curtains. The floor was not carpet, but a light blue marble.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My quarters. Follow me."

I followed him down the hall to what looked like a study with a large pool next to the desk. A Gyarados poked its head out of the water.

"Good morning," Siebold said to the Gyarados, scratching under its chin. "Did you miss me?" It roared in response. "I thought so. Serena, come here." I walked over, making sure not to slip. "This is Gyarados. He was my first Pokémon. Gyarados, this is Serena. My student."

"Gar!" It gently headbutted my hand.

"He wants you to scratch under his chin. He's rather needy in that way."

I scratched under his chin. "Pleasure to meet you, Gyarados," I said.

"Starmie and Clawitzer are resting. You will meet them later."

"The rest of your team?" I guessed.

He nodded. "Correct." He moved over to his desk. "Unfortunately, I do not have a map for you. The living quarters are rather large, much larger than the battling area."

"Am I going to visit the battling area?"

"A little, but that is mainly for battling challengers." He shuffled through the papers on his desk. "Darach was supposed to have sent it over."

"Who is Darach?" I asked.

"He is the manager of the Unova Elite Four. Their Ghost specialist has a Chandelure and she said she would send over a guide for training a Litwick." He put the papers down. "One of the pities of time differences." He looked over my travelling outfit, a knee length dress, stockings, and a matching hat. "I set up an appointment with Valerie for Thursday, so you have three days to settle in. I suggest you change into something more comfortable."

"All I own are outfits similar to this."

He sighed. "Of course. Because it would kill them to have you dress in something practical. Pity. I was going to have our first actual battling lesson today."

I perked up. "But because of what I am wearing, you cannot have it?"

"Dresses are not conducive to battling. Especially not when Water Types are involved." He turned away from his desk. "We might as well get the tour started. Follow me." I followed him into another room. This one was a giant pool with a couple floating platforms. "This is where I train my Pokémon. It is also where they stay when I am not battling or when I am away."

"What about Gyarados?"

"He has his own pool in my study because he is so large." He led me out of the training room and past another door. "That is my bedroom." He stopped in front of another door. "And this is my kitchen."

"You are a chef, correct?"

He nodded. "You will be learning how to cook also. I cannot let a lady loose on the world who cannot cook." He continued past the kitchen door. "And this is the door to the rest of the living quarters." He opened the door. "After you."

"Where are my quarters?"

"Drasna said they were next to hers, so they are down this hall and to the right. I will show you the way." He led me past a red door. "That is the way to Malva's suite. I do not suggest going in there." He stopped in front of a purple door. "This is the door to Drasna's suite." He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Drasna called from inside.

"Siebold and Serena."

The door opened. Drasna smiled at us. "Please, come in." Once we were inside, she closed the door. "Welcome, Serena. It is good to see you." She flipped a switch. "My apologies about how dark it is. Noivern does not like the light so early in the morning."

"I was wondering where Serena's rooms were," Siebold said.

"Yes." She handed me a rather heavy gold key. "They are right this way." She led us down the purple hall. "I picked out some basic furniture, but you are free to decorate it however you wish. Just let me or one of the other Masters know if you want something. However, I would not suggest telling Malva. She is rather upset at the moment."

"What happened?" I asked.

"She is upset because she is not the most important thing in the world," Siebold said. "She gets like this quite often, actually."

Drasna stopped in front of a door. "This is one way to get into your rooms. The other door leads to the main staircase." She opened the door. "I was not sure of the Pokémon you have, so I left that room empty. We can change it at a later date."

"Wow," I breathed. The hallway itself was impressive. Long with a wooden floor and light blue curtains.

"What do you think? I matched the color of the curtains to Litwick's flame, but that can be changed."

I turned to face her. "It's wonderful. Thank you so much."

"No problem, dear. I will be in my study if you need me." She left, closing the door behind her.

"You will have to decide what you want in your training room," Siebold said. "I would suggest you wait until you have a few more Pokémon, however." He checked his watch. "It is time for lunch. Follow me."

"Where do we eat lunch?" I asked, following him down the main staircase.

"Normally, it is whenever we can manage to do so and wherever, but today, it is in the dining room." He led me down a flight of stairs. "Here are the common areas for all of us."

"I have a question."

"Then ask it."

"Where are the other students?"

"There are none. Drasna teaches a few classes around the region, Wikstrom helps, and no one would ever trust Malva with children." He opened the door to a rather large dining room. "Sit wherever you like."

I sat to the left of the head of the table. Siebold sat at the head. Drasna and Wikstrom filed in and sat across from me.

"Pleasure to see you again," Wikstrom said. "How are you liking the League?"

"It is very large," I said. "I'm surprised I haven't gotten lost yet."

Drasna chuckled. "You should have seen Siebold his first week. He could barely find the battling area."

The tips of Siebold's ears turned pink. "Thank you, Drasna. I was hoping she would respect me," he muttered.

"I still respect you," I said quickly.

"Thank you, Serena."

Lunch was brought out. It was similar to the daily fare at the academy, soup, salad, then a light entrée.

"Normally, lunch is not so fancy," Siebold said. "The chef wished to impress you."

After lunch, Wikstrom and Drasna disappeared back to their suites.

"Does Malva not eat lunch?" I asked Siebold.

"She takes it in her room. She thinks she is too good for us," Siebold said. "You have some free time before dinner. I will be in my study if you need me." He headed down the hall towards his suite. "I had some books delivered to your study. I suggest reading them."

After ten minutes, I finally found my study. There was a large desk, an office chair, and empty bookshelves. There was a pile of books on the desk. Most of them relating to battling, but a couple were about etiquette and one was about cooking.

I heard humming and turned around. A young maid was dusting one of the bookshelves. She looked up and saw me.

"My apologies, miss," she said. "I can come back later."

"No, please stay. I'm just reading," I said.

"Are you sure, miss?"

I nodded. "Please stay. What is your name?"

"I'm Shauna, miss."

"Please call me Serena, not miss."

"Yes, mis-I mean, Serena." She continued to dust the bookshelves. "You're the new student of Lord Siebold, right?"

"Yes."

"I'm surprised he took a new student. After what happened last time."

"What happened last time?"

"It's really not my place to say."

"Please tell me."

She took a deep breath and closed the door. "Please don't tell Lord Siebold I told you this."

"I won't, I promise."

"He had a student just over a year ago. Best and brightest. But he got greedy and…well…He boasted that he could beat anyone who challenged him. That even his teacher couldn't beat him."

"What happened?"

"Lord Siebold scolded him, of course, but then he challenged him to a battle."

"And the student won?"

She shook her head. "He lost. Badly. Lord Siebold told him that he was too power hungry and that battling is a true art form that the likes of him could never understand. He kicked him out and swore he would only take beginning Trainers from then on. Ones who didn't know how to battle or anything." She smiled. "But that's all in the past now." She finished dusting. "Excuse me. I have to go clean Lord Siebold's kitchen now." She curtsied. "Good day, miss." She scurried out.

Hm. That was rather odd. His last student was power hungry? That was why he was so reluctant to have a new student? But he seemed to like me. He didn't say anything about taking me back to the academy, so that must have meant he liked me enough to at least teach me. And I was never going to be power hungry like his last student.

I managed to find my way to the dining room for dinner. Malva took one look at me and snickered.

"Honestly, Siebold, you couldn't tell your precious student to change for dinner?" she asked. She was wearing a long, dark red gown.

"Be nice, Malva," Drasna said. "It is her first day here. Give her some leeway." Now that I looked, Drasna was also wearing an evening gown.

"For future reference, we dress up for dinner. Honestly, have they lowered the standards at the academy?"

I felt my cheeks turn pink.

"Malva, you will be civil to my student," Siebold said, coming into the dining room. "Some of us don't care about the silly rules you abide by." He pulled out my chair for me. "Glad to see you at dinner. How was your free time?"

"I read a couple of the books that you left on my desk," I answered.

"Excellent. Those will be your textbooks for now. I recommend reading them over the next few days." He sat at the head of the table. "You are free to do whatever you wish until Thursday. Then we will discuss your schedule from there."

Dinner was wonderful. Well, the food was. Malva spent the entire meal making snide remarks at everyone. Drasna and Wikstrom asked me what Pokémon I was considering.

"I'm not sure," I said. "Maybe a Water Type to balance it out and perhaps a Steel Type? I'm not quite sure."

"Don't worry about it too much," Drasna said. "You have plenty of time."

After dessert, Wikstrom and Drasna retreated to their suites to prepare for the reopening of the League to challengers. They took the summer off, as they did every year. Malva and Siebold stayed, however.

"Serena, you are dismissed," Siebold said. "I expect you to be in bed and asleep by ten every night."

I nodded. "Yes. Good night."

"Good night."

I didn't get lost on the way to my suite. There were pajamas laid out, so I changed quickly and let Luna out of her Pokéball.

"Li-li!" she said, snuggling close to me.

"Night, Luna," I said, turning off the light and getting into bed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lord Siebold wants to see you in his study," Shauna said, drawing the curtains in my room.

I sat up, excited to begin the day. "Yes! We're going to Laverre City!"

"I hope you have a good time," she said. "Your clothes have been laid out and whenever you are ready, I can do your hair."

"Thank you!" I changed quickly into the same travelling clothes I wore when I first came to the League and sat in front of the boudoir.

Shauna picked up a brush and started brushing my hair. A little while later, she was done. "You're all ready to go."

"Thank you." I grabbed Luna's Pokéball and ran towards Siebold's suite. I knocked on the door.

"Come in," Siebold called.

I opened the door and went in. The study door was open. Siebold looked up from the papers on his desk.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded. "Are we taking the train there?"

"Yes. It is the easiest way to travel from the League." He got up. "I am afraid I know nothing about women's fashion, so I will leave you in Valerie's capable hands. I have an appointment in Laverre City."

The train ride was much longer than the one from the academy. We arrived in Laverre City just after lunch. We ate a late lunch at a small café. Then it was off to the Gym, which seemed to be inside a very large and old tree.

"This is the oldest tree in the Kalos region," Siebold said as we walked in. "The Gym has traditionally been inside it." He walked up to the counter. "Hello. We are here to see Lady Valerie."

"Of course, Lord Siebold," the woman at the front said. "Lady Valerie will see you immediately. Please use the green panel to get to her room."

"Thank you," Siebold said, leading me to a small green panel. We both barely fit, but it got us to Valerie's room.

Valerie turned around and smiled. "Welcome to Laverre City," she said.

"You will take her shopping, correct?" Siebold asked.

"Of course. Do you have business to attend to?"

Siebold nodded. "Yes. Thank you for doing this."

"No problem at all. I enjoy Serena's company." She extended a hand towards me. "Shall we?"

"This will do nicely," Valerie said, leading me into a small boutique.

The woman behind the cash register bowed when she saw Valerie. "Lady Valerie. What an honor."

"Pleasure to see you again, Katherine," Valerie said, bowing slightly towards the woman. "Serena needs a new wardrobe. One befitting a student of the Elite Four."

"Of course. Please follow me." We followed her into the back of the boutique. "Please wait here while I find some suitable options."

Valerie turned to me. "How is it at the League?"

"So far I haven't gotten too lost," I said. "I have not started my lessons yet, but I am sure they are going to be exciting."

She smiled. "I hope they will not be too exciting."

Katherine came back with several garment bags. "I estimated your size, so let me know if they do not fit."

The next few hours were a flurry of fabric. I tried on more gowns than I could count. Eventually, Valerie helped me pick out a few designs and colors. They were rather basic, but I liked them.

"Am I interrupting anything?" I heard Siebold say from the front of the building.

"We're back here," Valerie called.

Siebold came into the back of the store. "How is it going?" he asked.

"Very well," Valerie said. "We should be done soon."

"Excellent." He sat on one of the ottomans. "Anything I can help with?"

"No, I think we're good." Valerie handed me a long garment bag. "Try this on next."

"Okay," I said, going into the dressing room. Katherine helped me into the gown and I came out into the front.

"Siebold, what do you think?" Valerie asked.

He looked the dress over. "Nice. A little tight in the front, but I think that can be loosened."

"She is fifteen years old, Siebold. She may have a slightly tight front of a ball gown."

"The color goes well with her hair." The gown was almost a sea green. "Excellent choice, Valerie. I never doubted you."

"Then that is all we need."

We walked with Valerie back to the Gym.

"Thank you for taking such good care of Serena," Siebold said.

"Not a problem. She was lovely company," Valerie said. "And please, Serena, come visit me. It would be great to have you over for tea or something. Make sure Siebold lets you out of the League sometimes."

"I will let her relax!" Siebold said. He looked at his watch. "We have half an hour before the train. Would you like to eat now or on the train?"

"On the train, please," I said.

"Then let us take a walk. Pleasure seeing you, Valerie." He offered me his arm. I took it and loosely draped my arm through his, like I had been taught. "I am most curious as to why you were attending Anistar Academy," he said as we started down what seemed to be the main street of the city.

"In her will, that was where Mother wanted me to be educated. Before that, I was at the grand house of a lady."

"Which lady?"

"Marchioness Meriel."

He nodded. "I remember her. Her chef is excellent. So you stayed with her until you were ten?"

I nodded. "And then I was off to the academy. Of course, Marchioness Meriel is rather busy, so I do not see her very often."

"What were you planning on doing after graduating?"

"I am not sure." Seeing as I was an orphan, I didn't have that much money. Most of it was in a trust fund until my twenty-first birthday. Of course, Marchioness Meriel might have had me debut to society when I was eighteen. I would be courted, like other girls, and then be married. "Maybe travel to other regions."

"You can still do that. We do travel, during the holidays. Other regions invite us for tournaments and such. You would be able to join us."

I perked up. "Really?"

He nodded. "As my student, you would be allowed to watch the battles and possibly participate in one of the lower battles."

We walked down the street. Laverre City was a bit ominous, but beautiful. It looked a bit like a picture I once saw of Ecruteak City.

"Siebold!" someone called from behind us.

Siebold stopped and turned around. "Grimsley!" He grinned. "What are you doing here?"

A tall man stopped in front of us. "Well, we're on holiday and I decided to travel. Always wanted to go to Laverre City." He ran a hand through his ink black hair as he looked at me. "And who is this lovely lady?"

"This is my student, Serena. Serena, this is my old classmate, Grimsley. He is one of the Elite Four in Unova."

"Pleasure to meet you," Grimsley said, kissing my hand.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," I said. Grimsley was handsome. He was dressed in a black suit that he pulled off rather well.

"Siebold and I are old classmates. Has he mentioned me?"

"I'm afraid I've only been his student for three days."

He smiled at me. "Don't worry. He's not always this uptight."

"Grimsley," Siebold said sternly.

"What? She should know what she's getting into."

Siebold checked his watch. "We need to go catch the train."

"See ya around, Sie," Grimsley said, saluting with two fingers. "And I will definitely see you later, Serena." He sauntered off towards the Gym.

"You went to school in Unova?" I asked Siebold.

He shook his head. "I went to school in Coumarine City. Grimsley was one of the few students there who wasn't from Kalos. Would always arrive on a liner from Castelia City. That's the main city in Unova. Always showing off, Grimsley." He paused. "My grandfather lives in Coumarine still. Runs the Gym."

"Your grandfather is Ramos?" I asked.

He nodded. "He gave me my Magikarp when I was ten. Told me to take good care of it and never mistreat it. Now he's a Gyarados and helping me defeat challengers."

"Wow. Your grandfather is a Gym Leader," I breathed, still in awe.

"He never let the fame get to him. Still doesn't. Been running that Gym since before I was born and still spends mornings tending to his garden. Arceus help the challenger who interrupts him."

"What happens?"

"He makes them help him. Diantha, when she was a young Trainer, burst into the Gym in the middle of the morning, demanding a match with him."

"What happened?"

"Grandfather made her weed his rosebushes before he would even consider battling her." He smiled. "That's when I met her. I was one of the Gym Trainers. Threw a few challengers for a loop with Water Types."

I smiled slightly. "I'm sure you did."

"I am visiting him later this month. If you do well in your studies, you may join me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "It will be a good learning experience for you." He helped me onto the train and we went into our compartment. "Besides, who doesn't need a little break now and then?"


	4. Chapter 4

The next month was the busiest I had ever been. In the morning, it was breakfast with Siebold, then reading the textbooks while he took on challengers. Lunch was sandwiches in my study, followed by actual battling lessons with Siebold. Then dinner and an etiquette lesson from Drasna. I didn't even get weekends off! Most of Saturdays were spent in Siebold's kitchen, learning basic cooking techniques and then battling while the food was cooking. Sundays were spent learning history from Wikstrom.

"You have done very well over the past month," Siebold said when I was in his study, reading my cooking textbook. "You may come with me to Coumarine City."

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes! When are we going?"

"Not for a couple days. We will be staying there for a week, during the fall recess of the Elite Four, then return here. Shauna is taking care of packing your things. There will be a party, on the last day we are there. I assume you know how to behave."

I nodded. "Yes. We had a few parties at the academy."

"Excellent."

A couple days later, and we were off to Coumarine City. We took an overnight train there, so I slept most through most of the ride. The sun was just rising as we got into Coumarine City. It was beautiful.

"Welcome to Coumarine City," Siebold said, helping me off the train.

"Wow," I breathed. "It's beautiful."

He nodded. "Yes. Yes it is." He started walking towards the Gym. "Come on. You're going to miss breakfast."

I quickly caught up to him. "Miss breakfast?"

"Grandfather has breakfast at eight every morning before working on his garden."

The walk to the Gym was short, but very beautiful. Siebold led me around to the back of the cave the Gym was in and up a flight of stairs to a meadow. A house stood in the center of the meadow. It was rather large, but homey looking.

Siebold knocked on the door. "Grandfather!" he said.

The door opened, revealing an older man. "No need to shout, sonny," he said.

The tips of Siebold's ears turned pink. "I thought you were asleep," he muttered.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to this young lady?"

"Grandfather, this is my student, Serena. Serena, this is my grandfather, Ramos."

"Pleasure to meet you," Ramos said, kissing my hand. "Siebold has told me so much about you."

"Hopefully only good things," I said.

"Of course they were only good things," Siebold said. "Is breakfast ready, Grandfather?"

"Not quite. Your sister is already here," Ramos said.

"We left before her," Siebold said, going into the house. I followed him. It was airy and the large windows let the morning sun in perfectly.

"She flew in on her Talonflame."

Siebold cursed under his breath. "Anyone else?"

"Grimsley. They're rebuilding the Elite Four over there and he asked to stay here."

"You didn't leave them in the same room, did you?"

Ramos chuckled. "I'm sure they can handle themselves for a couple minutes." We followed him into a large, homey looking kitchen. "You two still alive?"

Grimsley poked his head out of the pantry. "Yup! I haven't even challenged her to a battle yet."

"That's because you would lose," someone drawled.

I turned around. "Malva?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes?"

"You're Siebold's sister?"

"Yes. What, he didn't tell you? He's my big brother."

That was odd. Siebold never mentioned any of his family other than his grandfather. I had assumed he was an only child.

"It hadn't come up," Siebold said, walking past me to get to the workspace of the kitchen. "Would you like me to make breakfast, Grandfather?"

"If it's not too much trouble," Ramos said, sitting at the little table next to Malva.

Siebold pulled on an apron. "Nothing's too much trouble for you, Grandfather."

"Can I get anyone anything to drink?" Grimsley asked, poking his head back in the pantry. "Wine? Scotch?"

"It's breakfast, Grimsley," Siebold said, pulling ingredients out of the pantry.

"Mimosa?" I giggled. "I heard that, Miss Serena." He poked his head back out. "There is never a bad time for a little drink."

"My student is fifteen. No alcohol for her."

Grimsley just smirked. "Pity. That's what makes Malva tolerable."

"I heard that, you…" She was about to say something, but Ramos gave her a stern look.

"Serena, get plates," Siebold said after a few minutes.

"Allow me," Grimsley said, swooping in. "Siebold seems to forget that some of us didn't grow up here and have no idea where the plates are." He opened a cabinet and took out five plates. He handed them to me and said, "Take these to Siebold, won't you?" His fingers briefly brushed mine.

I took the plates over to the island and set them down. "Anything else?"

"Go sit," was Siebold's answer.

I sat at the little table, across from Malva. Grimsley sat between us. Siebold started ferrying food from the island to the table.

"Let me help," Grimsley said, getting up.

"I've got it," Siebold said, carrying the last plate over and putting it at my place. "Enjoy."

"How are you enjoying your lessons, Serena?" Ramos said.

"They are stimulating," I answered. "Rather difficult at times, but stimulating."

"Has he made you cook for him yet?" Grimsley asked, lazily stirring his coffee.

"I wasn't going to tell her about that yet," Siebold said, glaring at Grimsley. "But yes. Eventually, you will have to cook for me. It will not be for a long time and it will not be as stressful as Grimsley makes it out to be." He smiled slightly at me. "Don't worry. Grimsley exaggerates everything."

"I resent that. You know I don't exaggerate about my skill with the ladies." I blushed. "Oh, she's so innocent and naïve. Like a little bird."

"Be nice to my student, Grimsley."

"I am being nice!"

Malva left shortly after breakfast, saying she needed to train for when the League opened up again. I was glad when she left. She didn't seem to like me anymore than when I first came to the League.

"Don't mind her," Grimsley said. "She's just jealous."

"Jealous of what?" I asked.

"You. Everyone adores you. See, she's used to being the only girl. Other than Drasna, of course. But she's used to being the pretty one and the one who gets all the attention." He pulled a Pokéball out of his coat pocket. "This is for you."

"For me?"

"Sie said that you only had one Pokémon, so I thought I could help you broaden your horizons."

"Thank you." I tossed the Pokéball. A rather short Pokémon came out.

"Paw-paw," it said, making a gesture with one of its knife-hands. I supposed it was saluting me.

"That's a Pawniard," Grimsley said. "Native to Unova. A Dark and Steel type. Balances your Litwick rather well, don't you think?"

"Yes. Thank you," I said. Wow. I had two Pokémon. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you like to battle?"

"I've only really battled with Siebold."

"That's fine. It'll just be for fun. I'll even use one of Ramos' newly hatched Pokémon, if it'll make you feel better."

"But being a Grass type, it would have the advantage."

Grimsley turned to Siebold. "You certainly picked a smart one." He turned back to me. "You're right. I'll make you a deal. You finish your training, I'll battle you in the Unova Elite Four. Deal?"

"Deal." I shook his hand.


End file.
